Following a strong preseason debut, Reid and Steele discussed what the UDFA RB should continue to focus on as training camp concludes.
At this stage in training camp, coaches and general managers have a good notion of how their 53-man rosters will look. While some positions remain open ahead of roster cuts on August 27, most players have established their arguments for making the club.
Carson Steele, a running back/fullback, is one of the Kansas City Chiefs’ players on the bubble. Having said that, the undrafted free agency signings continue to gain traction as the summer goes on. Coming off his first preseason game and his first score in the NFL, the hype train is full speed ahead.
Following Monday morning’s practice, head coach Andy Reid told the reporters what Steele needed to do to make the cut.
“You saw what he was as a running back,” Reid added. “He is learning the fullback position as needed. We used Noah (Gray) last year, and he can still do that. If he wants to make the squad, he needs to be a decent special teams player and be able to carry the ball while remaining aggressive, as he is right now. However, he had a productive day.
Steele carried the ball four times in Saturday’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, tallying a team-high 29 yards. His 20-yard rush in the second quarter was one of two standout plays of the night. He had another with a demonstration of consistency, and his one-yard touchdown came on a fourth-and-1 at the goal line. Steele and his teammates rejoiced after breaking the plane of the end zone.
Regardless of what Reid said, the Chiefs have greatly missed that type of strong running. While Gray played as an H-back last season and Isiah Pacheco is an angry rusher in his own right, Kansas City struggled with short yardage for the majority of the season. Even though everyone in Jacksonville knew what was going to happen, Steele’s touchdown run was a breath of fresh air.
Steele claims he was “more of a style of fullback but wasn’t a true fullback” at UCLA. He believes that having a combination of power and contact balance helps him execute his role(s) effectively. He has been thinking about proving his versatility for quite some time.
“Honestly, that was kind of my main goal coming into camp,” Steele told ESPN. “There was a little bit of conversation here and there. My main goal was to be like a Swiss Army knife, trying to do everything. I can get in anywhere they need me to be. As they mentioned, incorporating a fullback who can block and catch out of the backfield would also be beneficial. More than merely being able to run.”
Steele’s athletic profile was one of the biggest criticisms he faced entering the draft. Running a 4.75-second 40-yard sprint followed by a 4.36-second shuttle is hardly a recipe for NFL success as a halfback. However, being a de facto fullback in Kansas City allows him to showcase his best characteristics. Reid said that special teams might be the determining factor. Steele stated that he hadn’t done this since his freshman or sophomore year of college.
If he can make even a percent of the impact he did on Saturday, the Chiefs will need to do some serious roster math.